Hey all, I recently bought a few new parts for my computer as follows:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231308

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128470

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127573

Based on things I've read on the internet, some have said that it is necessary to reformat your hard drive as soon as you get a new motherboard. Normally, I would agree with this, but in this case, the socket of this mobo (LGA775) is the same as on my current motherboard. The only things I am upgrading are my RAM, mobo and video card. My processor and hard drive are remaining the same, which leads me to my main question: Should I in fact reformat my HDD simply because I upgraded my motherboard, and not the socket? If not, what should I do?

Thank you in advance.

It depends. Which motherboard are you replacing?

I'm replacing an intel DG965SS motherboard. It has the same socket, the only thing that is different is the kind of memory that is supported in the new board, which is DDR3. My old board only supports DDR2 memory. I'm thinking that if I clear the drivers for the old mobo and RAM in the Device Manager, I should be in good shape, no?

The chipset for the new board is G41, however, and for my old board it is G965, should I be concerned about that?

Edited April 7, 201115 yr by ben100014

No you don't need to reformat just because swapping motherboard but depending on the OS you're using you might need to do things to make it boot if it was the boot drive.

Edited April 7, 201115 yr by allen2

Well, I'm using W7 x64, and I am only running one drive at the moment, so what exactly would I have to change?

The chipset for the new board is G41, however, and for my old board it is G965, should I be concerned about that?

Both chipset are from the same manufactuer, hence equal or similiar drivers are used.

Both hardware similiar, actually a ICH8 and ICH7 controller.

W7 x64 support both out of the box. Did you install a newer iastor driver at G965 motherboard?

Just replace the hardware and boot. No need for reinstall.

You should be able to do a board swap without doing a full reinstall of Windows 7. My PC at home went from an 865GBF to a Q35JO without reinstalling. You may need to reactivate Windows tho. Make sure you aren't going from IDE mode to AHCI tho.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I don't believe I am going from IDE to AHCI, but I will double check to make sure. No newer drivers have been installed on my motherboard, but should I get rid of my old drivers before I install the new hardware just to make sure no conflicts arise?

Edited April 8, 201115 yr by ben100014

Ahh, I am having trouble finding out if my current mobo is IDE right now, and if my new one is AHCI. Can anyone help me find out?

Is it a big deal if I transition between the two?

Sorry, you're talking to a 15 year old with a knowledge of computers up to certain extent...

EDIT: Wait a minute here, is IDE equal to PATA? If so, I should have no problem, since I haven't used PATA in years...hahahah.

REEDIT: Wait, never mind, would I go into my bios settings to see if I am running in AHCI mode?

Edited April 8, 201115 yr by ben100014

REEDIT: Wait, never mind, would I go into my bios settings to see if I am running in AHCI mode?

That's the best option.

should I get rid of my old drivers before I install the new hardware just to make sure no conflicts arise?

You shouldn't remove anything.

Ok, thank you!

Right, the only time you would need to remove a driver is if you are switching video controllers. For example, if you were going from an nVidia to an ATI, you would want to remove the nVidia software or vice versa. Otherwise, you can just install the drivers you need to later.